Hundreds oppose Wycombe Wanderers training complex agreement at golf course

Stoke Poges Task Force says its petition reached the milestone within a week amid concerns about plans for South Buckinghamshire Golf Course and Farnham Park Playing Fields.

The group argues that the development now proposed is “materially different” from the plans described when the council invited public representations in 2024.

It says the original public notice referred to leasing the golf course and playing fields for continued use for sport and recreation. However, the task force claims residents were not told that the lease could allow a predominantly private professional football training complex featuring an indoor dome, several training pitches and fencing.

It also says the proposals would result in the permanent loss of part of the public golf course. Lars Falck, from Stoke Poges Task Force, said: “Residents have now been shown what is proposed, but they have never been asked the fundamental question: do they support converting charity land held for public sport and recreation into a largely private professional football training complex – or indeed into any predominantly private facility – in the first place?

“At this stage, our campaign is not about the specific proposal on the table. It is about the question the public was never asked and therefore could never answer: should charity land be leased for this type of development at all?”

The task force wants the council to publish a new proposal explaining the intended use of the land and the rights that would be given to an operator.

It says the authority should then invite fresh public representations and restart the tender process before deciding whether to grant a lease.

Campaign volunteers are distributing thousands of leaflets across Stoke Poges, Farnham Royal, Farnham Common and the surrounding area.

However, Buckinghamshire Council has rejected the group’s argument and says there is no basis for restarting the process.

Peter Brazier, the council’s cabinet member for culture and leisure, said the authority had carefully considered the concerns raised.

He said: “Our view is that the new lease arrangements are consistent with the intentions set out in the public notice and the objectives that informed the decision to progress a lease with Wycombe Wanderers last year.

“It is important to note that this lease does not give planning permission. The new development mentioned will require full planning permission which will provide opportunities for public consultation and independent assessment.”

Mr Brazier said the lease would bring “significant investment” to both the playing fields and golf course. He added that it would improve facilities, increase participation and ensure the site continued to support sport, physical training and recreation in accordance with the trust’s charitable purposes.

Mr Brazier said: “We therefore do not believe there is a basis for restarting the process.”

Wycombe Wanderers’ plans for the site includes converting a section of the club’s 18-hole golf course into a training base. Wycombe Wanderers was approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.